Two familiar faces retained their seats and another familiar person is returning to the Holmes Beach City Commission.
Residents voted Nov. 2 to reelect Commissioners Terry Schaefer and Carol Soustek, as well as former Commissioner Pat Morton, according to official results from the Manatee County Supervisor of Elections Office.
Commissioners serve two-year terms and earn $7,690 annually.
Schaefer received the most votes, with 658 — 21.85% of the 3,007 votes cast between the five candidates vying for a commission seat.
Soustek received the second-most votes with 638, or 21.19% of the vote.
Morton gained his seat with the third-most votes, 631, or 20.96%, 22 more votes than candidate Renee Ferguson received in her loss.
Candidate John Monetti, also a former commissioner, received the least votes with 475, or 15.78% of the total.
The city’s two voting precincts, 303 and 305, featured slightly different results.
Voters from precinct 303 chose Morton, Schaefer and Soustek as their top three candidates, with 336, 378 and 363 votes, respectively.
Ferguson received the next-highest number of votes in the precinct with 306, or 19.12% of the 1,600 votes counted for the precinct.
However, precinct 305 chose Ferguson as their top candidate with 303 votes, or 21.47% of the 1,411 votes counted for the precinct.
Morton received the second-most votes in the 305 precinct with 295, or 20.91%, and Schaefer received the third-most with 280, or 19.84%.
Soustek received the fourth-most votes in the precinct with 275, or 19.49%.
Monetti received the least votes in both precincts.
Precinct 303 is bordered to the south by Key Royale Drive, the city’s northern border with Anna Maria, the Gulf of Mexico and Sarasota Bay.
Precinct 305 is bordered by the city’s southern border with Bradenton Beach, Key Royale Drive to the north, the Gulf of Mexico and Sarasota Bay.
According to the SEO, 24.74% of eligible voters submitted ballots countywide.
In Holmes Beach, there were 1,272 total ballots cast with 2,744 eligible voters, resulting in a 46.35% turnout.
Of the votes cast, 602 were mail-in ballots, 25 were early votes and 645 were Election Day votes.
During the last odd-numbered election year, 2019, voters cast 898 ballots, consisting of 408 mail-in ballots, 490 Election Day votes and no early voting.
SEO deputy chief Sharon Stief told The Islander Nov. 5 that there would be no recount because no candidate came within 0.5% of the winners.
Winners react
Morton told The Islander Nov. 3 that he is excited to return to the dais after spending Election Day waving to voters alongside Monetti and Soustek outside the city’s polling site at the St. Bernard Catholic Church, 248 S. Harbor Drive.
“I’m very happy to rejoin it,” Morton said. “It’s always my pleasure to serve. I just like to serve and help people.”
Morton, who served as commissioner for 17 consecutive years before losing his seat in the 2020 election, will succeed Commission Chair Jim Kihm, who declined to run, citing “personal reasons.”
Schaefer told The Islander Nov. 3 that he is happy to continue as commissioner.
“I’m delighted that I was reelected and have the trust and confidence from the people in our community,” Schaefer said. “I think what the election has provided is an indication that our constituents want stability within our commission and an approach based on reasonableness.”
“I’m anxious to roll up my sleeves and get started on another year,” he added.
Schaefer said that, heading into his second term as commissioner, he is excited to launch the city’s Clean Water Committee and wanted to continue pushing for infrastructure improvements.
Soustek told The Islander Nov. 4 that she felt “ecstatic” to be reelected and believed citizens made the right choices.
“I am so happy because I feel very comfortable now that the commissioners are good,” she said. “They have integrity. They love the city. …We’ll move forward and do it right for the community.”
City clerk Stacey Johnston told The Islander Nov. 4 that a swearing-in ceremony was tentatively scheduled for 9 a.m. Monday, Nov. 15, at city hall, 5801 Marina Drive. Still, the date awaits confirmation from the SEO for the certified election results.